Chapter 4: Too Late

Lucy POV

Lucy had just completed her first part-time shift at one of the many coffee shops in town. She hung her apron out back, patting it affectionately. It had been a while since she worked a retail job like this; it was at a different pace from the nurse position she had back in Colorado.

She sighed, not wishing to think about her fast exit from the medical world. She felt like it had been her true calling… what she was destined to do… to help people.

I'll just have to try and help people while I make their coffee, she thought, biting her lip. She was going to look at this from the bright side.

She exited the coffee shop and made her way to her car. She had been thinking about the interesting veterinarian known as Gabriel all day. Not only was he extremely good-looking, but he also had a professional job and possibly owned the veterinarian business he had mentioned.

She plugged the address for Holy Grounds Cafe into her phone and realized it was just a short drive down the main road. As she pulled into the parking lot, she saw Gabriel leaning against his car checking his phone. He had seemed like a cool cucumber earlier in the morning but there was something off about him… and she couldn't quite place it.

Did he find her annoying? She was pretty sure he recoiled when he touched her back on the Dry Creek trail. Maybe he was gay!

After she parked her car, she opened her door and Gabriel waved with a smile.

Okay, he doesn't seem annoyed now, she surmised as she shut and locked her car door.

"Hey, did you find the place all right?" Gabriel sauntered over to her. He was wearing a light blue button-down shirt and tan pants. Lucy realized she had been admiring his body in the outfit, blushed slightly, and answered his question as they crossed the parking lot to enter the Holy Grounds Cafe.

"Oh yeah, actually this must be one of my current job's competitors. I just got a job at Nadine's Caffeine down the street. It's been a while since I worked at a coffee shop."

Gabriel, being a gentleman, opened the door to the coffee shop for Lucy. As they stood in line Lucy noticed Gabriel seemed nervous. Was he nervous about their date? He didn't need to be!

"S-So," he stuttered nervously. Lucy noticed but she did not comment and smiled up at him; she was much shorter compared to him.

"Ahem. So… yeah Sedona then?" Gabriel brushed the back of his head with his hand looking bashful. He may have been trying to pick up their conversation from where they left off on Dry Creek Trail. Lucy bit her lip. She was worried she'd have to give more details of why she really left Colorado. She was not ready to share that part of her life, yet.

"Sedona, Arizona! I used to come here for vacations back when I was little… it's kind of surreal that it's my home now," Lucy mused as she bit her lower lip while looking at the menu.

Gabriel coughed into his fist before answering. "So, you are staying? It isn't just for a summer or anything?"

"Yeah, I'm staying. There isn't anything left for me in Colorado anymore. I prefer the environment and ambiance here anyways." Lucy nodded her head definitively but she had a sadness in her voice.

"Do you have friends and family there?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes. They can come visit me anytime they want. I think right now I will not be returning to Colorado for a long time," she cut off her answer to his question curtly and changed the subject. "Anyways, have you lived in Sedona your whole life?"

He shook his head, seemingly to re-focus. "Oh me? Yeah, I grew up here. I have quite a large family… and friends. We are all close. I have an adoptive father I live with at a homestead ranch-style place, and he's looked out for me ever since I was sent to live with him. He's the one who inspired me to follow my dreams," Gabriel stated, side-eyeing Lucy as they neared the front of the line.

"Oh wow, to become a vet?" She smiled at him as she played with the strap of her purse.

"That and a few other things…" he added mysteriously. Why did she get the feeling there was more to that statement?

"Hmm... he sounds like my Aunt Gertrude. She's always been a driving force of inspiration in my life. Perhaps they should meet." She grinned.

"I think they may already h-have…" Gabriel coughed awkwardly avoiding exploring the conversation further as he greeted the cashier. "By the way, my treat. Order anything you'd like… although personally, I would avoid anything with coconut. Unless that's your cup of tea, then… so be it!" Gabriel raised his hands up jokingly.

"Oh, I can pay for my drink, thank you though… I don't really like owing people…" Lucy bit her lip nervously.

Gabriel growled softly.

Lucy turned and narrowed her eyes at him thinking she heard him growl. Wait what? Did she hear right?

"You can pay next time then…" Gabriel said and then added, "No strings attached though... I don't expect anything with this coffee drink."

Lucy liked how Gabriel was honest with his statement. That meant he wasn't the kind of guy who expected physical favors in return for material things. Those guys were the worst, and not worth anyone's time.

"Okay…" Lucy breathed out dejectedly. She still felt uneasy but accepted his terms. She really didn't like owing people things because what if they used it against her?

They ordered their drinks and sat down at a table in the corner of the cafe near a window.

"So, Aunt Gertrude knows your adoptive father?" Lucy plopped down across from him taking her purse off.

"Well… yeah... I think they've been friends for a while. She owns a gallery in town and Samson has found a few things she uses in her art. Anyways, more about you. Tell me… what makes you Lucy?" Gabriel leaned back in his seat.

Lucy bit her lip. He looked so relaxed and content in his seat, and extremely sexy.

Ack! Lucy, focus! She cleared her throat. You don't want him wondering if you are some kind of perv staring at him like that!

He raised his eyebrow at her. Did she say that out loud?

"Um… me?" she barely uttered.

"Yeah… what do you do for fun?" Gabriel repeated.

"Well… I used to be a nurse. And that just didn't work out. So, I'm a barista for now and I am currently working on my writing hobby again. I love hiking and nature, anything outside is my thing. And I have a new dog named Frank, whom you've met." She shrugged. "What about you?"

As Gabriel happily told her about his veterinarian business in town, his new blue wheel well lights, and the renovations he was working on in his friend Vance's home, an aggressive presence stepped foot into the cafe. Lucy watched Gabriel stop mid-sentence and his jaw clench. What was wrong? He seemed tense and rigid in his seat. A tall man who looked just like Gabriel stepped into her line of sight.

He was older than Gabriel, had hair filled with streaks of silver, and was not as muscular as Gabriel was. Although, they most definitely must be related considering how similar their looks were. The stoic man grabbed a chair and placed it at the table as if inviting himself to sit down.

"Hey, kids. Gabe, who's this lovely lady you are sitting with?"

Gabriel cleared his throat. "New friend, Lucy. Lucy this is my Uncle Fennick… he's just stopping by for coffee it looks like. Do you need anything right now, Uncle?"

Lucy's brow furrowed. She could hear the tension in Gabriel's voice. She wondered if Gabriel didn't like his uncle. He seemed to be sitting on the edge of his seat ready to attack or defend Lucy from him.

Why was Gabriel's uncle just staring at her? Did she have something on her face?

"Too late," Fennick said icily out loud with no explanation. Lucy looked to Gabriel for clarification but his face was pale. What did he mean?

"Lovely to make your acquaintance Lucy. Welcome to Sedona." Uncle Fennick shook her hand. He held her hand a bit too long and he had a smirk on his face.

"You remind me of someone. You look just like her," Fennick said as if to explain why he was staring at her for more than socially appropriate.

Before Lucy could ask if Fennick knew her Aunt Gertrude, he had walked back to the door of the cafe confidently with long strides. Had he just come to talk to them? What was the point of his visit? Lucy could feel the tension between Gabriel and Fennick; they didn't seem like happy loving relatives to her.

Lucy bit her lip, noticing how tense Gabriel seemed even after Fennick had left. She heard him gritting his teeth as if he was frustrated. Uncle Fennick didn't seem or sound like this adoptive father, Samson, Gabriel had mentioned. Hence the different names.

Perhaps they don't get along, she thought.

Determined to not let this date go sour Lucy continued with a question. "You had asked me a question, but I forgot what it was."

"Oh yeah, you said you like writing?"

"I love it. It's my dream to write books someday, and I'm hoping a different pace out here may help inspire me to finish a novel." Lucy smiled, crossing her legs she could feel the tension dissipating after Gabriel's uncle had left.

"Well, Lucy, thanks for coming with me to get coffee… This may sound strange but I really like you. Um… I'm not this forward usually but all I can say is I'd really enjoy getting to know you more. As more than a friend, but I understand we just met."

Lucy was taken aback. "Oh! Wait… I wasn't sure if this was a date or not. So, it's a date?"

Gabriel chuckled, "Oh yeah! I-I …m-mean if you want it to be?"

Did she want it to be?